Japan As Spy Breeder

A story about former spy for Central Intelligence Agency was simultaneously published in a number of countries including Japan on Wednesday. It revealed that Edward Snowden, former CIA spy who is in asylum after publicized secret activities of the spy organization, stayed in Japan for training as a spy. The government of Japan is ignoring what the story says in a don’t-ask-don’t-tell way. Having dubbed as “spy haven,” Japan is crucially vulnerable for protecting information.

The book is No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State written by Glenn Greenwald. A new story for the Japanese was that Snowden was deployed to Japan between 2009 and 2011 as a worker for a major U.S. computer maker. As a cyber agent for National Security Agency, he had intensive training for intruding into computer systems of military or private organization of foreign countries. In short, Japan bred that brilliant spy agent who shook the world.

NSA planted infectious virus to over fifty thousand computers of a number of countries to oversee computer screen and key manipulation. In 2010, the agency set eavesdropping on some delegations, including Japan, to the United Nations, in order to obtain attitudes on the resolution for sanction against Iran in Security Council. To the delegation of Japan, multiple methods including computer hacking were used for stealing information.

The government of Japan has not responded new facts on the book so far. On wiretapping on Japanese Embassy to U.S. appeared last June, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told that the government had required U.S. of confirmation about facts. But no sign for an answer to him was reported. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has kept the bilateral dialogue on the issue to be secret. It is likely that Japan has not accused U.S., because deficit of being provided with less information form U.S. may be greater than benefit of knowing truth on U.S. intelligence activities.

Even how Japan is eager to access to U.S. intelligence, the book reveals that Japan has been ranked in the second group on countries U.S. credits. While NSA included United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in Group A for comprehensive cooperation, Japan was categorized in Group B for limited cooperation as well as Germany, Greece, Italy and South Korea.

The government of Japan has been following U.S. efforts for security issues to deal with its own security. In this regard, sharing information with U.S. is crucial for Japan. However, unleashed eavesdropping harms sovereignty of a nation. Japan has to release a statement that unprincipled collection of information will disrupt an important alliance.